“Surely you (O’ Muhammad) are a Warner, and for Every nation there is a guide”

We find that the Allah out of His infinite mercy for his creation has always sent representatives, a hujja. The purpose of having a hujja on this earth is for guidance to the people. Allah (s.w.t) sent 124,000 Prophets which includes the Prophet of Islam and with him came the religion of Islam and upon him the Quran was revealed. He was the best and the most pure of all creation as was his cousin Ali and his daughter Fatima (sa) and their 11 sons, the Imams .

As we find in Al Kafi, a Hadith-e-Qudsi which states that after the creation of the intellect, Allah (s.w.t) speaks to it and says that "I swear by My honor and glory that I have not created any creature more beloved to Me than you. I will not perfect you in anyone except those whom I love..."and we know from another Hadith-e-Qudsi where Allah says 'I was a hidden treasure. I created this world so I may be known'. If we ponder upon these two hadiths we would find a link between them and that link is Ahl ul Bayt . Allah has perfect the intellect in these personalities and it is them whom He loves. For the world, the skies, the heavens and the earth were all created for them as stated in Hadith-e-Kisa. And to know Allah we have to know the Ahl ul Bayt . For these are the personalities which through their worship, piety and their level of submission to His will reached a stage where they were became an example to humanity.

The Ahl ul Bayt were the protectors of Islam and carried the job of guidance. They were the representatives on this earth after the Last Prophet and now we are into the time of the last hujja. Imam Al Mahdi (ajtf) is the last illuminary. He is in occultation yet he is able to guide us and help us just like the hadith of the Prophet of Islam says: "I swear by the One who has sent me as a messenger; he will benefit from him and seek the light from his noor and his wilayat, in the same manner that the humans beings benefit form the sun, even though it is behind from the clouds" (Bihar ul Anwar). However the question us Shias need to ask is why is he in occultation? Why are we deprived of such a big blessing? Why is there a curtain between us, his followers and him?

To find the answer to those questions we must ponder on our own actions and also take a glance at history. Allah (s.w.t) had sent the Imams after the Prophets to continue the guidance of man. The Imams performed their duty of guidance, but the second part of this system, which was for the Ummah to heed to this guidance and embrace it never happened. We find in history our first Imam is deserted by his followers. The event of Ghadeer became a distant memory in the minds of the muslims. He himself says in Nahjal Balagha that he is a Leader without a nation. If we look through his life we find such historical encounters. At a point in his life he is speaking to a well. Imam Ali [as] is sharing his grief, his sorrows to a well why would he take that measure? It was because he wanted the history to know that he was a Leader without followers, a Speaker without listeners and a Commander without an army.

The pain and suffering which was felt by Imam Ali [as] continued on. Imam Al Hassan [as], a lonely Leader .He is alone in rows, alone in wars, alone at home, alone before his rule, alone during his rule. How much is his loneliness, that he was poisoned by his wife. And Imam Al Husayn [as] who was martyred in Karbala and his body was left on the plains of Karbala and his family were taken captive.

So many Leaders, so many Imams [as] yet the Ummah didnt pay heed to them. Imam Al Baqir [as] and Imam Al Sadiq [as] had so many followers and students yet none of them were like Haroun as the hadith states above. More to that here is an incident from his life: Once Imam Sadiq (a.s) passed from some place, a man saw him and he said Mashallah how many people and students come to meet you or come to take your help, how many admirers you have, then why don t you start an uprising. But Imam (a. s) said it's not worth, then Imam (a.s) pointed to a flock of sheep and said that if people in this much quantity as the number of sheep were sincere enough to be called my followers, than I would be in a position to start an uprising. One historian reported that when that person counted the sheep they were only thirty.

A Leader, who has four thousand students with him, is saying that if only thirty of them are with me I can take an active stance against the tyrants. but what was worse that his son Imam Al Kadim [as] was poisoned and his body was left on the bridge of Baghdad. He was an Imam who spent most of his life in imprisonment yet he was able to spread the message of Islam to the people and to his followers. The Imams [as] always put their followers first and we as their followers never thought abt them.

And we find that a time comes when 11 Imams [as] have been either martyred or poisoned and now there is one remaining, the Imam of our time Imam Al Hujja (ajtf), Baqiyatullah, the Awaited one. We are living in the time of this great Imam but the question we need to ask ourselves is that are we really the followers of this Imam [as]? We call out to him day and night asking him to return but how many of us are truly prepare for his return? Remember the hadtih states that: "One who dies without knowing the Imam of the time dies the death of an infidel".. This hadith is a clear proof to us that we should strive to acquire the Marifa of our Imam (ajtf). Marifa of the Imam (ajtf) can be achieved by learning about him. By knowing what are the responsibilities of his followers in the time of his occultation and his return. By knowing and understanding the concept of active awaiting. Through reading and understanding the duas and the supplications of the Imam (ajtf). Sahifa -e- Mahdi is a compilation of all the duas from and about Imam Al Hujja (ajtf). One of the duas which I love is from Imam Al Sadiq [as] in regards to Imam Al Hujja (ajtf). It is as follows:

O Allah introduce yourself to me, for if you do not allow me to know you then I will not know your prophet. O Allah introduce your prophet to me, for i do not know your prophet i will not know your Hujja. O Allah introduce your Hujja to me for if you do not allow me to know your Hujja I will go astray from my religion.

The treasures and the knowledge parted by the Imams [as] to their followers is immense. It is like a sea and no matter how much we drink from it it will never be empty. It is a sea of infinite knowledge and wisdom. The Imams [as] represent the peak of knowledge, wisdom and intellect so by knowing them and following in their footsteps maybe we can be their true followers inshallah and be able to serve Imam Al Hujja (ajtf) after his return.

We are not far from that blessed day of his birth, the day when Allah completed his Hujjat, the day when the heavens and the earth rejoiced as the Awaited one entered this world. He is everywhere yet our eyes cannot can see. He helps us in ways which our minds cannot comprehend and he prays for our well being. So let us take this great oppurtunity and reform ourselves truly. We need to learn from the companions of Imam Husayn ,for they are the best example of how a follower should be. We need to learn devotion from John, the slave of Imam Husayn and the understanding of death from Al-Qasim, and the unselfishness and conquest of individualism from Al-Abbas and we need to develop a desire to die an honourable and dignified death as demonstrated by Imam Al-Husayn . And there is no greater honour then to die while fighting for the cause of Allah in obedience to your Imam.

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